Swallows and Amazons film
So, Because I am a member of TARS I got an invite to the cast and crew screening of the new film (due out on 19th August). We were told not to post anything on social media, which is why this is friends locked, but I had to get some thoughts down. (EDIT: post made public on 27th July)
This is not going to be an unbiased reveiw because I am invested far too much in the source material.
I knew going in that there were changes to the plot; additions to make it more exciting because as Nick Barton the producer said at the TARS AGM "you can't get it made unless there are certain elements in it". As a film and a story it isn't bad, but it isn't 'Swallows and Amazons'.
The books centre around the children and the adventures they make for themsleves. If there is any intervention from the adults it comes as an aside or it's in one of the 'fantasy' books. The beauty is that you can go and re-create the adventures just as they are described. In this film unfortunately, the imaginative adventures of the children are pretty much pushed out by the real world spy plot; they can't seem to go anywhere without tripping over the Russian spies or Captain Flint. The first time they meet Captain Flint (on the train to the lakes) he tells the children that he is a pirate, so they don't even have to deduce that from the cannon on his boat (I don't remember seeing one anyway).
Then it turns 39 steps as Captain Flint climbs outside the train whilst the Russian spies are on the roof, then flings himself off onto the grass.
The characters of the Swallows are weaker than the books Titty (not much use of Tatty, so I didn't notice it much) screams more often than not, which is not the brave Titty I know. John and Susan bicker far too much and they are both presented as not having all the necessary skills for the expedition. Mother is concerned that John will not be up to sailing the boat all the way to the island, when we know that all the children are pretty accomplished sailors already having been taught by Father previously. Susan doesn't get to do much cooking in the film (the food gets lost overboard on the journey to create 'challenges'), but she is shown hacking uselessly at a fish they have caught and then unsucessfully cooking it. We know that the book Susan is an accomplised cook ("I'm best at buttered eggs"), and knows how to gut a fish for the pan. When they go shopping for emergency rations they only get pemmican, no bread or eggs or milk. I don't know who decided it was a good idea to let these children camp on their own!
If you squint, the book is in there. The Billies turn up, but far too early and are seeked out so John can learn how to light a fire without matches (they went down with the food). They give John the message to give Captain Flint. John tries, but is called a liar by Flint (can't remember now why, because there was no firework on the roof of the boat). The Amazons show themselves to the Swallows (by firing flares at them!) before high-tailing it back to the Amazon River. They later plant arrows in the Swallows' camp before parlying and deciding to have a war. The Swallows decide to capture the Amazon and come back to the island at night, but the Amazons get there before them and so Titty captures the Amazon (and sees the Russians kidnapping Flint). It all happens in the space of two days though, not the week that the book covers.
What is not in the film though is Dixon's Farm (were they not going to get milk every day?), Octopus Lagoon, Cormarant Island with the treasure, the lighthouse tree, the battle for Houseboat Bay, Man Friday. General island life; is it not interesting enough having children fending for themselves on an island?
Health and Safety really seems to have gone out of the window. Mother is seen smoking on the train; the Swallows jump off a cliff into the lake to get away from the Amazons; Susan gets hit by the boom and Roger goes overboard; the two dinghies are almost swamped because they try and use them to stop a seaplane taking off by snagging a rope around the skids; John wields a handgun at the Russain spies, etc.
We also have a Checkov's gun, in the shape of a pocket knife (Father's). It is given to John at the beginning of the film along with the note that he should use it to whittle wood and cut rope (That got me thinking "They never cut rope!"). It keeps cropping up, possibly as a metaphore about John taking on the mantle of the head of the household because Father is absent, and constantly being reminded that he keeps failing. It gets into the hands of the Russains at one point, but John gets it back at the end and cuts the rope from Swallow to the seaplane and so saving everyone from drowning.
It's a mish mash that might work if you don't know the book. Definately more Famous Five and I have no idea why there was a carnival put in as it didn't add anything to the plot. I don't think I will be seeing it much; I shall stick with the 1974 version.